Travel Clinic for Newington & Southside, Edinburgh

Medically reviewed by Emmanuel Ebube Umezulike, Superintendent Pharmacist, Avante Pharmacy (GPhC 2222671) on 1 October 2026 · Verify on the GPhC register · 5 min read

Students and residents in Newington, Southside and around Bristo Square can get travel vaccinations at Avante Pharmacy and Travel Clinic on Brougham Place, a walk across the Meadows, without the 6–8 week wait that NHS Lothian's travel clinics regularly carry. The clinic is pharmacist-led and can advise on gap-year, elective and backpacking trips as well as routine holidays, including the hepatitis B vaccination many healthcare students need before a placement abroad.

Where can I get travel vaccinations in Edinburgh?

For Newington and Southside, the closest dedicated travel clinic is Avante Pharmacy and Travel Clinic at 26 Brougham Place, reached by a walk of around fifteen to twenty minutes across the Meadows from George Square or Bristo Square. As well as your GP practice's limited free list, University of Edinburgh students can use this pharmacy-led route for a full pre-trip risk assessment, malaria advice, and a wider range of travel vaccines than most GP surgeries now offer.

NHS inform is explicit that your GP practice is "no longer your point of contact for a travel health risk assessment, including travel vaccines", which matters for students planning gap years, fieldwork or study-abroad placements who need somewhere else to turn, often at fairly short notice once term dates and flights are confirmed.

Do the NHS offer free travel vaccinations?

NHS Scotland provides some travel vaccines free of charge: diphtheria, polio and tetanus (as a combined booster), hepatitis A, typhoid and cholera. You're likely to have to pay for yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis, tick-borne encephalitis and rabies vaccines, and you may also pay for hepatitis B, meningitis or TB vaccines if they're only needed for travel. For students working out a backpacking budget, it's worth knowing which of your jabs will be free through the NHS route and which you'll need to pay for privately — see current prices for the latter, or ask when you book.

How can I book an appointment at the NHS Lothian Travel Clinic?

NHS Lothian runs six travel clinics across the region, bookable by phone on 0131 537 2823 or online, but the service is regularly fully booked around 6–8 weeks in advance. For students who've just confirmed an elective or a post-exam trip, that lead time can be tight. A pharmacist-led clinic on Brougham Place offers an alternative appointment route, generally with shorter waits — book online or call 0131 229 7948.

How long before travel should I get vaccinated?

Aim to book your travel health consultation at least 4 to 6 weeks before you fly. NaTHNaC's general travel advice notes that some vaccine courses need several weeks between doses to be fully effective, which matters if your itinerary includes a multi-dose vaccine or if you're headed somewhere requiring a yellow fever certificate. Even if your trip is closer than that, it's still worth getting an appointment — some vaccines and malaria tablets can still be given at short notice.

Medical and healthcare student electives: hepatitis B

Healthcare students heading overseas for a clinical elective are one of the groups NaTHNaC's hepatitis B guidance specifically flags as being at increased risk, because of possible exposure to blood and body fluids through practical clinical work, needlestick injuries or contaminated equipment in resource-limited settings. Hepatitis B vaccination is recommended for travellers in this position, and because a full course can be given on an accelerated schedule of doses at 0, 1, 2 and 12 months, it's worth starting the conversation with a pharmacist well ahead of your placement date rather than in the final fortnight before you fly. See our hepatitis B vaccine in Edinburgh page for more on how the courses work.

Gap years, fieldwork and backpacking: planning ahead

Newington and Southside's large student population means a steady stream of gap-year trips, fieldwork placements and long-haul backpacking routes through Southeast Asia, South America and further afield. These trips often mean visiting several countries with different vaccine and malaria recommendations, so it pays to bring a full, honest itinerary to your appointment — including any rural fieldwork, volunteering or animal contact, which can change the advice significantly. Booking early also avoids the need for an accelerated vaccine schedule, which can mean an extra visit or two squeezed into exam term.

Walking from Bristo Square and George Square across the Meadows

From Bristo Square or George Square, the most direct route to Brougham Place is on foot straight across the Meadows towards Melville Drive, then up through Tollcross — a pleasant walk of roughly fifteen to twenty minutes depending on your start point and pace. It's flat throughout and well used by students and staff heading the same way, so it's an easy trip to fit around lectures or shifts.

Student vaccinations beyond travel

Travel vaccines sit alongside a wider set of vaccinations students are often asked about, including MenACWY and meningitis B boosters some new students need before starting university, and routine catch-up vaccines for those who missed doses at school. See our student vaccinations in Edinburgh page for more on what's typically recommended and where the free NHS options apply.

When students bring us their full itinerary and any fieldwork or volunteering plans, we can tailor the advice properly — including whether an accelerated vaccine schedule makes sense for their timeline. — Emmanuel Ebube Umezulike, superintendent pharmacist

If you're coming from further round Bruntsfield, see our Bruntsfield travel clinic page for that route across the Links instead.